Automatic firearm



J. C. WHITE.

I AUTOMATIC FIREARM. APPLICATION FILED NOV-12,1917- RENEWED AUG. I5,1921,-'

Patented Mar. 21, 1922.

4 SHEET$-SHEET 1- III llll lllll IL J. 0' WHITE. AUTOMATIC FIREABM. APPLICATION FILED NOV-12,1911- RENEWED AUG. I5. 1921.

7 1,410,354. Patented Mar. 21, 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2- J. C. W HIIE'. AUTOMATIC FIREARM. APPLICATION FILED Nov.12, 19|z. RENEWEDIAUG. 15.1921. 1,410,354.

Patented Mar. 21, 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3- I. C(WHITE. AUTOMATIC FIREARM. APPLICATION FILED'NOV. I2. 19!]. RENEWED AUG. I5. I9'2I.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

' Patented Mar. 21,1922.

3%. I.. N v K ourren sures career oFrlcE.

JOSEPH C. WHITE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T WHITE-GREENMAN ARMS COMPANY, 013 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. A CORPORATION. OF MASSA- CHUSETTS.

AUTOMATIC FIREARM.

Specification of Letters Patent. llutcnted D1511, 21, 1922.

Application filed November 12, 1917, Serial No. 201,484. Renewed August 15, 1921. Serial No. 492.633.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH C. WHITE, a :itizen of the United States, and resident of Boston, countyof Suffolk, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvementin Automatic Firearms, ofwhich :he following description, in connect-ion with the accompanying drawings, is a specification,- like characters onthe drawings representing like parts in each of the several views.

This invention relates to firearms and more particularly to a semi-automatic type of rifle, though certain of the features of the invention are adapted for use in a full automatic type and other features are adapted for use in a non-automatic rifle. More'specifically the invention provides for an' adaptation of the well known Springfield rifle to an automatic system and mech-. anism wherein the used cartridge is extracted and ejected, a new cartridge inserted in the firing chamber, and the bolt operated and relocked by automatic means, preferably gas operated, directly from a port in the barrel of the gun. One importantobject is to provide a firearm of this type wherein the cartridges have a relatively straight line feed from the magazine into the firing chamber, i. e., the cartridges as presented successively for projection endwise into the firing chamber by the breech.

bolt are already in approximate endwise alinement therewith so that little or no swinging of the cartridge to right it is required. Afurther important object is to provide an improi'ed construction and arrangement of retaining lips adapted to retain the cartridges when the bolt is withdrawn, these being in the path of the bolt When'the bolt is retracted but being automatically movable out of the path of the bolt as it moves forward, and being also of a character to permit easy and convenient.

insertion of the cartridges into the magazine. A further object is to ,provide an improved firing system marked by great simplicity of constrwtion, andg'having as dis tinctive elements a rotating breech bolt and a non-rotating firing system associated therewith. A further object is to provide an improved construction wherein the firing pin cannot by any possibility reach the primer until the breech bolt is fully locked.

A further object is to provide means whereby the striker may be cooked or. recocked without opening or disturbing the breech bolt from its locked position. A further object is to provide-an improved construction of cartridge clip holder and guide carried by an extractor member mounted on the bolt. Afurther object is to provide an improved construction and arrangement of striker and sear wherein a single spring actu'ates the striker and also operates the sear. A further important object is to provide an improved construction wherein the saddle.

preferably gas actuated, controls and operates all the functioning parts including the extractor, the breech bolt, and the cocking of .the firing system. A further object is to provide an improved safety device consisting in novel means for locking the sear from casual movement out of its cocked position. A still further important object has to do with an improved gas operating system including an expansion cup adapted to fill up with gas under requisite pressure during the time the bullet is passing from the gas port to the muzzle of the gun, and this system also including as a. distinctive feature a novel type of self-cleaning gas port. The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description, and the distinctive features of novelty will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings;

Fig. 1 is a side elevationshowing a gun constructed in accordance with my inven tion, the stock being removed and a portion of the barrel being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the breech bolt remm'ed;

'Figfii is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of-the firing pin removed; I 1

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the'striker and sear removed; v r

Fig. 6 is a. lengthwise central'vertical section through the gun showing the parts in firing position; a

Fig. 7 is a transverse section on line 77 of Fig. 6; i Fig. 8 is a transverse section online 8-8 ofFig.9; I

Fig. 9 is a central lengthwise vertical section similar to Fig. 6 but showing the breech bolt fully retracted and just before pressing a cartridge into the firing chamber in the automatic sequence of operations;

Fig. 10 is a transverse section on line 10-10 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a partial transverse Section on line 11-11 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 12 is a partial rear end View of the receiver; Y

Fig. 13 is a. horizontal section approximately on line 13-13 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 14 is a partial plan view of the gun with parts broken away and other parts in horizontal section;

Fig. 15 is a transverse section on line 15-15 of Fig. 13;

Fig. 16 is a fragmentary lengthwise sectional detail showing the ejector in elevation; and

Fig. 17 is a detail showing the breech catch in elevation.

In the semi automatic firearm selected for the present illustrative embodiment of the invention, 1 indicates the receiver of oblong, generally cylindrical form with a threaded bore 2 at its forward end to receive a barrel 3 formed with a firing chamber 4 opening into the receiver. and secured underneath the receiver, is a housing frame or magazine guard 5 bolted at its forward end to the forward end of thereceiver as seen at 6 and extending to near the rear nd of the receiver where it is again bolted thereto by an elongated bolt 7 with an interposed spacing sleeve 8 fitted on said bolt, this bolt, and the rear end of said housing frame, serving to secure the stock 9 to the gun, the bolt7 passing through the forward portion of the stock, and securing the same in place in a manner that will be readily understood. The forward portion of the frame housing 5 is formed with spaced apart upright parallel walls 10, 11 forming a magazine chamber 12; The bottom of this chamber is closed by a removable plate 13 normally held in place by locking ledges 14, 15 at the bottoms of the inner sides of the walls 10,- 11 respectively'and a cam piece 16 pivoted at 17 to the housing frame is normally pressed by a spring 18 into a seat 19- at a projectmg inner end of said plate, to hold the same normally locked in place, the material underneath said seat being cut away as seen at 20 to permit insertion of a cartridge nose or other means to displace the cam 16 and permit removal of the plate 13, this being in accordance with the usual practice. The cartridges Gin the magazine are yieldingly pressed toward the top of the receiver by a multiple leaf spring 21 acting on a plate 22 on which the cartridges rest. The receiver 1 is formed with a lengthwise extending cylindrical bore 23 concentric with the firing chamber 4 and open at top and bottom, and in this bore the breech bolt 24 is fitted for endwise sliding and controlled rotary movement. The breech bolt 24 is composed of a rearward hollow barrel por tion 25 of relatively large diameter within which is housed the firing mechanism, and with a forwardly extending reduced portion 26 having a passage therethrough for the firing pin to be later described. The forward reduced nose or neck 26 of the breech bolt is equipped at its forward end with relatively stout and heavylatera] lugs 27 at opposite sides, these operating in a forward portion 23 of the bore 23 which is reduced just before it merges into the threaded socket 2, to form a bearing and abutment annulus 23*. To co-operate with the lugs 27 for locking the breech bolt in operative position, corresponding stout lugs 28 of the receiver extend inward into the bore 23 from opposite sides, thus providingshoulders 28 adapted to engage the shoulders at the inner ends of the lugs 27 and hold the breech bolt locked secure and immovable when its lugs are turned to engage said shoulders 28, and at this time making of the forward portion of the breech bolt with the adjacent areas of the receiver and the barrel, virtually a solid unitary mass of metal at the rear of, and surrounding, the firing chamber. The relative areas of the lugs 27, and 28 is such that when the breech bolt is turned angularly through some little arc, i. e., approximately a quarter turn as shown, the lugs 27 are released. from the lugs 28 so that the breech bolt may be retracted. For operating the breech bolt it is connected to a saddle 29 slidably fitted to the top of the receiver having tongue and groove connections 3Q therewith at. opposite sides. This saddle which controls the movements of the bolt is itself operated by automatic means, preferably and .as shown by a portion of the gas taken from the barrel as later to be more fully explained. For thus operatively connecting the saddle with the breech bolt, a pin31 is mounted to slide transversely, and 'as shown diagonally downward of the saddle with a reduced lower end adapted 'to be projected into a spiral slot 32 formed in the rear barrel portion 25 of the breech bolt. This slide pin 31 has a pivotal hook engagement 33 with a' rocker arm 34 pivoted to a pin 35 mounted in a transverse bridge 36 formed on the top of the saddle, this rocker arm-having a finger piece 37 projecting some little distance above said bridge.

pression coil spring 38 hqused underneath and in a socket of said rocker arm as best seen in Fig. 7. The rocker arm 34 'also has pivotal hook engagement as seen. at

The rocker arm 34 is normally held tilted to" hold the pin 31 projected into the. slot 32 by a com;

slidably fitted therein.

tend radially. inward of the saddle at the side opposite the pin 31, this pin being adapted when projected inward to extend into a relatively short slot 41 which extends straight lengthwise of, the breech bolt barrel at the forward portion thereof; it being noted that as best shown in Fig. 7 when the pin 31 is projected into operative engagement withthe slot 32, the pin is retracted out of the slot 41 and vice versa, and further that the pin 40 is normally held retracted by the spring 38. The firing pin is indicated at 42 ofusual tapering form extending through a correspondingly shaped passage of the breech bolt nose 26, and the head 43 of said firing pin being operative in the chamber of the breech bolt barrel 25 with a part circular sleeve, 44 extending rearwardly in the lower portion of said barrel to a point approximately midway of the length thereof. The inner end of this sleeve 44 is extended into a complete circle as seen at 44 and serves as a guide for the striker 45 which is The striker 45 is formed with a cylindrical barrel extension rearwardly, indicated at 45, in which is pivoted at 46 near the front of the striker the sear 47. The barrel 45 has threaded in the inner end thereof a sleeve nut 48, an inner smooth extension whereof serves as a stop for the firing pin, and also as a guide and receiver for the inner chambered extension of the striker as seen at 49. The free end of the sear 47 extends through the sleeve nut 48 which permits limited swinging of the scar, and the sear is formed with a ledge shoulder 50 without the nut and adapted to engage over the outer face thereof to hold the striker in cocked position. Mounted in the'chambered extension 45" of the striker is a 'stout compression coil spring 51, this pressing against a shoulderf52 formed on the top of the scar and reacting against the inner 'face of the nut 48. In this way the spring 51 performs the dual functions. of projecting'the striker forward to actuate the firing pin when the sear is tripped, and alsoby acting on the shoulder 52 which is relatively close to the sear pivot 46, and located thereover, tends to swing the sear upward. to engage the shoulder 50 with the nut 48 thu's causing the sear to cock automatically when the striker is drawn back. q For drawin the striker back to cocked position, the pm 31 extends far enough through the slot 32 into the interior. of the barrel 25 as seen at 53 to engagethe outer face of the striker. The inner projecting end of the sear 47 is adapted to fit into a seat 54 formed in the upper portion of an arm 55 pivoted at 56 to an upper extension 54 is fOlXTBCl withshoulders at each side its lower end.

of the trigger 57. The seat I thereof adapted to hold the sear from movement. in either direction with respect thereto when its end is engaged in said seat, and the arm 55 is spring pressed to' engage the sear and thus hold it in cocked position, by a spring 58 carried on the pivot 56. The trigger 57 is. pivoted on a transverse pin 59 having its opposite projecting ends guided for limited sliding in 'short ways 60 formed lengthwise of the receiver and the trigger is normally pressed yieldingly-to .its forward limit of such sliding movement by a coil spring 61 housed in a socket of the trigger and reacting against an abutment on the receiver. Whenthus pressed forward the front end of the trig ger has .its lower corner 57 resting on a short upper ledge 62 of the receiver, this supporting the trigger with the arm 55 in position to hold the sear locked in cocked position as seen in Fig; 6, and the parts being held secure in this position by the pressure of the spring 61. The trigger is equipped with an intermediate downward projection 63 having a finger piece 64 at Vhen this finger'piece. is pulled the trigger is drawn backward, the pin 59 sliding in the ways 60 until the corner 57 drops off the ledge 62 on to a lower retaining ledge 65. This swinging downward of the forward end of the trigger causes the arm 55 to pull the'shoulder 50 of the sear out of'engagement with the nut '48, whereupon the striker 45 is projected by the spring 51 to operate the firing pin and discharge the gun. For locking the trigger against accidental discharge I provide a safety device consisting in a finger 66 extending forwardly from the projection 63 with a downward hook 67 at its end adapted to be engaged by a co-operative hook end 68 of a lever 69 pivoted to the receiver at 70 and having a depending arm 71 projecting through the trigger guard 72 so as to be engageable both within and without the same. This arm is equipped with a yielding detent engageable with either of two spaced apart seats 73 in the trigger guard whereby said lever may be retained either in position for the hook 68 to engage, the hook 67 to prevent operation of the trigger, or upon pressing upon the inner side 71 of the depending arm, the hook 68 will be swung down, and dis e'ngaged so as-to' permit the trigger to be operated. After the gun is fired as the breech bolt is thrown back for ,the reloading operation, the lower. corner of the nut 48 engagesthe arm 55 at an intermediate point to swing the same down out of the way and said arm is shown as having a .con cave curved edge 55 where it is thus en gaged by'the ni1t48 to cause said arm to be pressed down easily and gradually to clear the breech bolt as seen "n Fig.

9. The saddle 29 which is drawn back to throw out the spent cartridge, normally covers the portion of the receiver over the magazine. and it has co-operative therewith an intermediate telesc0ping dust cap 74 also slidably guided on the rear portion of the receiver and having interlocking engagement as seen at 75 with the rear of the saddle so as to be drawn forward thereby when said saddle is moved forward to close the receiver. The dust cap 74. also has a similar shouldered interlock 76 with the top portion of a tubular rearward extension 77 of the receiver which affords clearance for the rear end of the breech bolt as it is retracted, said extension being closed by a nut 78 threaded thereint-o and recessed as seen at 79 to afford clearance for the sear projection. For locking the nut 78 in place it may be equipped with a bow spring 80, the ends of which project through said nut into sockets of the receiver end as seen at 81. Thus by engaging this bow spring with a cartridge end or other suitable implement the spi ing may be easily pressed out and the nut removed when required. F or withdrawing the spent cartridge shells from the firing chamber an extractor member 82 is mounted in a recess at the forward end of the saddle and having at its rear end an interlocking projection extending into the breech bolt as seen at 83, this permitting a limited rocking of the extractor with reference to the breech bolt. The forward end of the extractor is equipped with an extractor hook 8% adapted to project down over the end of the bolt to engage the cartridge rim and equipped with a ledge to engage the bolt to limit such inward movement. The extractor is normally pressed yieldingly inward to operative position by a spring 85 reacting against the saddle and pressing against the forward portion of the extractor. there being sufiicient clearance as best seen in Fig. 6, back of the extractor so as to permit its end hook 84.- to swing back for engaging over the rim of the cartridge, the

outer edge of said hook being somewhat bev eled as shown to permit'it to engage over the cartridg rim. The empty shell thus drawn back out. of the firing chamber is ejected through the top of the receiver. the saddle being then drawn back, by an ejector member consisting in a finger 86 pivoted to the receiver at 87 and presenting a square shoul-' der end 88 which is adapted to be pressed into a slot 89 in the forward end of the bolt when this comes into registertherewith, by a spring 90 mounted on the receiver and pressing against said finger; it being understood that the slot- 89 is so located on the forward end or nose of the bolt as to come into register with the fin 'er 86 as the bolt nears the end of its backward movement. This ejector finger is positioned some little distance below the transverse center-of the receiver passage, and thus engages the cartridge end near the bottom thereof and swings the same upward and outward through the top opening'ofthe receiver on the final backward movement of the breech bolt, and while the extractor hook is still engaged with the cartridge rim. In accordance with my invention means is provided for locking the breech bolt retracted and the saddle open when the magazine becomes exhausted of cartridges. For this purpose I provide .a breech catch consisting in an arm 91 pivoted to one side of the receiver at 92 and extending transversely across the same just back of the magazine wall 11 and in front of the breech bolt when the bolt is in retracted position. The outer end of the breech catch arm 91 extends outward of the receiver housing where it is equipped with a finger piece 93 and a stop shoulder 94 adapted to limit the upward swing thereof. This breech catch arm is swung upward so that the projection 91 thereof comes into the path of the breech bolt. upon the exhaustion of the cartridges in the magazine by a projection 22 of the follower plate 22 which for this purpose extends outward through the inner magazine wall 11 and so as th last cartridge is pressed out into the firing chamber, said projection 22 will press the breech catch upward to come into the path of the breech bolt upon the ensuing retraction thereof. For preventing too free swinging of the breech catch arm its pivot pin 92 is preferably split as seen in Fig. 1 so as to exert a frictional resistance, this being useful in preventing the breech catch 91 from swinging into operative position by gravity alone should the gun he turned over. Also for limiting the swinging downward of the breech catch it is equipped with a spring prong 95 struck out therefrom and working in a shallow recess 96 at the adjacent side of the receiver wall. Thus the saddle is held in open position automatically upon the exhaustion of the cartridge supply both as a notice to the operator that the magazine must be filled, and in readiness to receive a cartridge clip for such filling. To facilitate filling the magazine, the forward upper corner of the extractor 82 is equipped with spaced apart socketed ears 97 adapted to receive a cartridge clip of standard type.

- For retaining the cartridges in the magazine when the saddle is drawn back, and for yieldingly holding the foremost cartridge substantially alined with the firing chamber for projection thereinto, I provide retaining lips extending diagonally upward'from each side of the receiver into the upper part thereof and normally in the path of the breech bolt. These lips indicated at 98 extend up obliquely through the receiver walls close together so as to prevent the passage of the cartridges there-between, and their inner cartridge engaging faces are prefer along the receiver outside of the same and at the point where they turn in through guide slots 102 of the receiver, they present 'a gradually inclined edge 103 in the path of, and adapted to be engaged by the breech bolt on its forward movement to press the lips easily and gradually out of the way of the bolt. As best seen in Fig. 9, the lips 98 engage the cartridge quite well forwardly thereof, and the inclined edges 108 are in advance of the' rear ends of the shells in the magazine, wherefrom itresults that the breech bolt comes into pressing engagement with the end of the shell and with the extractor hook serving as a stop, gets a substantial hold on the shell for pressing it into the firing chamber before the lips 98 are moved back to inoperative position. It is to be specially observed that with this convstruction of retaining lips normally in the path of the breech bolt but arranged to be moved back automatically by the-forward movement thereof, 1 am enabled to locate the foremost cartridge that is to be projected into the firing chamber substantially, or very closely in endwise alinement therewith so that on its engagement by the breech bolt it has to be righted angularly only to a minimum extent,-this being a feature of great importance for rapid firing and in preventing amming of the shells. For insuring a straight endwise backward movement of the breech bolt after it has been turned angularly to unlock it and also for causingthe bolt to move forward without turning until it reaches breech closing position, it is equipped with a lug 104 extending upward as shown when the bolt is in breech closing position but adapted to turn to a horizontal position through a transverse slot 105 of the receiver whereupon it comes into register with a slot 106 extending straight lengthwise of the receiver and back to the end thereof, this slot'guiding the lug 104 and thus holding the breech bolt for straight endwise movement after its rotation to unlock the lugs 27 from the shoulders 28.

For actuating the saddle and with it the (lBSCIllNil mechanism automatically, I pro-' vide a gas operatingsystem receiving its operative impulse from aportion of the as taken from the barrel on the discharge. or

this purpose a lateral lug 107 rigid and preferably integral with the saddle, and as shown extending from the transverse bridge 86, has

threaded thereinto as seen at 108- a piston stem 109 extending out alongside the barrel and equipped at its outer end with a cupped piston' 110, formed with an elongated cup shell 111 fitting into a cylinder 112 secured at its ends to strap lugs 113, 114 engaged 'with the forward end of the receiver and v with the barrel respectively. The strap lug 114 which is secured to the barrel well outward from the firing chamber, andsome little distance from the outer end of the barrel, has a small passage 115. outward therethrough, this being a continuation of a small lateral port 116 of the barrel and leading into the passage of a nozzle 117 which extends backwardly into the cup 111 into the cylinder 112 and the cup 111, when the piston is retracted. The cup 111 is of a capacity adapted .toaccumulate a predetermln'ed quantity of gas which is projected thereinto through the passage 115, 116, 117 when the gun is discharged, and the subsequent expansion of. which in the cylinder 112 presses the piston 110 backward to operate the saddlefor opening the same. The piston 110 and the cup sleeve 111 are formed with a series of small annular grooves 118 thus forming what might be termed a multiple air ring packing, it being understood that thev piston and its cup shell have an easy sliding fit in the cylinder. The nozzle 117 which as shown at 119 is threadedthrough the lug 114, has fitted thereinto a headed screw 120 with a minute port therethrough in alinement with the main gas port 115, the. purpose of this being to provide for self cleaning of the port by allowing any hydrocarbon deposits to be driven through said minute port by their high velocity, thus avoiding deposits in the gas cylinder or 1n the interior of the cupped piston. To facilitate this action the inner end of the portthrough the screw 120 is'for'med with a conical receiving mouth around said port. The outer end of the cylinder 112 may be held to the lug 114 by any suitable means, shown as a sleeve nut 121 through which the cylindo! end is fitted and adapted to clamp the flange end of the cylinder to said lug. For returning the piston and with it the saddle to closed position, i. e., for performing the automatic reloading operation, a compression coil spring 122 is mounted on the piston stem 109, this spring pressing against the piston from thev rear and reacting against a collar 123 held by a bayonet con-vv nection in the inner end of the cylinder 112 and serving as a guide for the inner portion of said stem. The collar 123 is held against displacement from the end of the cylinder 112 by having an e ternal lug fitting into a bayonet slot 124 in the cylinder end of said groovebeing also preferably end, which normally serves to prevent said collar from turning. This collar is also connected with the piston stem 109 by having an internal lug fitting into a lengthwise groove 125 of said stem, and this groove also has a bayonet formation 125 adjacent the' end of the stem whereby the stem109 is normally prevented from turning but upon disengagement of the collar from the bayonet connection 124:, the stem 109 turning in this manipulation; the collar may then be slid out of the cylinder and then the stem 109 unscrewed from the lug 107 and said collar removed, the internal lug thereon being manipulated through the bayonet slot formation. 125 Thepurpose of the bayonet slot 125 v is for convenience in assembling socket 126 in which isifitted the nipple: of a knob 127 constituting a finger piece. This knob has a bore therein in which is housed a spring pressed bolt. 128, an inner beveled end 128 of which operates in a lengthwiseextending'horizontal groove 129 of the receiver and serving as a yielding stop on the backward movement of the saddle, the inner beveled as seen at v129*. Since according to the present construction the non-rotating firing system including the firingi pin, the striker and the sear are housed and mounted in the rotating breech bolt, it is requisite that means be provided for holding these elements of the firing system against rotation with the breech bolt. For this purpose the shell 44 at the rear of the firing pin is equipped with a lengthwihse extending later'al slotl30 which is engaged by a projeotlon 131 atone end of the sear pivot pin 46. The striker and sear are held against rotation by their mounting in the sleeve nut 48 whlch is loosely fitted in the rear of the breech bolt and is held from turning by havmg a lateral projection 132 engaging in the slot 10 6. This construction of a non-rotatlng firing pin in conjunction with a rotating bolt is'utilized to provide means whereby the firing pin is prevented from any possibility of contacting with the primer until the bolt 1s turned to fully locked position. For this purpose the head 43 of the firing pin is equipped with forwardly projecting lugs 133 which normally rest against the adjacent end wall of the bolt to hold the firing pin slightly drawn back as seen in Fig. 6. This wall of the breech bolt is however provided with recesses 134 which when the bolt is turned to fully locked p0s1t1on come into register with and breech closin controls all the operative parts of the mechanism, i. e., it carries the extractor, operates and controls the breech bolt both for its locking and unlocking and breech opening movements, and cocks the firing system. also consider of. special value and importance the provisions whereby the striker may be cooked or recocked without opening or disturbing" the locked position of the breech bolt, this consisting as described in the arrangement of the pins or studs 31, 40 connected to be selectively projected into the hollow interior of the breech, bolt for engaging and pressing back the striker 45 to; cook the same, the pin 40 when thus projected operating through the straight slot 41 and thus not disturbing the angular adjustment ofthe breech bolt, i. e.,

leaving it locked, while the pin 31 when pro jected into operative position, operating in the cam slot 32'first turns the breech boltto 'unlock'it and'then continuing its backward movement draws the breech bolt with it, the! breech bolt then being held for straight endwise movement by the lug 104 operating in the lengthwiseslotlOG of the receiver. It is to be noted that the resent firing system is one of great simplicity and involving a minimum number of parts, i. e., only a firing pin, a striker element with pivoted scar, and a single spring which operates the dual functions of projecting the striker forward, and also of operating on the sear to moverit to cooking position. The simplicity and reliability of operation of the mechanism relates in large measure to the present improved construction and relative arrangement of the rotating breech bolt having associated therewith a non-rotating firing system, and I consider this combination a specially valuable and important feature of the invention. I also consider of value and importance the present construction including the pivoted dog or arm 55 which holds the sear positively and reliably from moving either up or down when the gun is cocked,.this constituting an important safety feature. It is to be noted that the striker 45 can be readily released when desired withoutl thing the gun, i. e., by retracting the saddle with the pin'40 projected inward,

i. e., without operating the breech bolt, and then pulling the trigger, the striker may be lowered to safe position. It is also to be noted asan important feature that the firing pin cannot by any possibility reach the primer until the breech bolt is fully locked, this being an incident to the relatively independent mounting of the firingpin with respect to the breech bolt, i. e., with one of said members rotatable and the other member held from rotation; in this'connection it will be understood that the present embodiment wherein the breech bolt is the rotatable member and the firing pin the nonrotatable one is merely illustrative in this respect. I also attach special importance to the improved and relatively simple but effective arrangement of the cartridge retaining lips 98, these normally engaging the cartridges so as to hold the foremost one in relative alinement with the'firing chamber and said lips being engaged directly by the breech bolt to be moved out of the way on its forward movement, this reducing the number of-operating parts in this respect to the minimum. The mounting of said lips extending obliquely upward from each side as shown, permits them to be easily pressed back for inserting cartridges into the magazine while reliably and securely holding the contained cartridges therein. The rovision of the clip holding sockets 97 carried by the extractor facilitates the refilling of the magazine by insuring the easy and convenient alining of the cartridge clip therewith. The firing system being entirely housed within the breech bolt is concealed and protected most effectively. I also consider the construction and arrangement of self-cleanin gas port including the blow out vent in the p lug 120 tobe a valuable and important feature of the invention as also the expansion chamber in the cylinder 112 and its cupped piston which is permitted to fill up under requisite operative pressure while the bullet is passing from the port 116 to the muzzle of. the gun. I am aware that certain of the described features can be used to advantage apart fromothers and that most or all of the various features described may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essen- 'tial attributes of the invention, and I there fore desire the present embodiment to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new andv desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1'. In a firearm, a breech bolt equipped with a firing pin, a striker equipped with a sear, a trigger, and a dog carried by said trigger equipped with a socket adapted to engage said sear and lock the same in cocked position. v

2. In a firearm, a breech bolt equipped with a firing pin, a striker equipped with a sear, a trigger, and a pivoted dog carried by said trigger equipped to engage said sear to hold it locked in cocked position and arranged also to trip said sear. as the trigger is pulled.

3. In a firearm, a breech bolt equipped with a firing pin, a striker equipped with a pivoted sear, and a trigger equipped with a dog for engaging said sear to hold the same locked in cocked position, said trigger having a mounting causing said dog to be pulled downward on a backward movement of the trigger to trip said sear.

4. A' firearm, comprising a receiver, a breech bolt movably mounted therein for breech opening and closing and also for locking movements, a striker equipped with a sear, a saddle slidable on said receiver, means carriedby said saddle for controlling said breech bolt, said means also separately operative on said striker to retract the same for cooking, and means carried by the saddle and operable alternatively with the last named means'for retracting the striker to cook the same-without disturbing said breech bolt.

5. A firearm, comprising a receiver, a breech bolt movable therein to breech opening and breech closing positions, a striker equipped with a sear, a saddle slidable on said receiver, and means carried by said saddle presenting selectively an element for both controlling said breech bolt and for retracting said striker to cock the same, or an element operative for retracting said striker to cock the same without disturbing said breech bolt.

6. A firearm, comprising a receiver, a breech bolt movable therein to breech opening and breech closing positions, a striker 7. A firearm, comprising a receiver,abreech i bolt movable therein to breech opening and breech closing positions, a striker equipped with a sear, a saddle slidable on said receiver, and a rocker carried by said saddle and having two pins connected therewith to be selectivelyrendered operative thereby, one thereof assing through an inclined cam slot of sai breech bolt and serving both to actuate said bolt and to retract said striker for cocking, and the other of said pins passing through a straight slot of said bolt and serving to retract said striker without operating said bolt.

8. A firearm, comprising a receiver equipped with a breech bolt and firing mech anism, a saddle connected to operate the same, and gas operated mechanism for actuating said saddle including a port leading from the barrel of the gun with a relatively minute discharge vent in alinement therewith for self-cleaning, said port changing its direction abruptly at said vent, a cylinder, and a piston formed with an expansion 10 chamber, said piston hadng a stem connecting directly with said saddle.

JOSEPH C. WHITE. 

